Mockingjay - A Skyrim Fanfiction -
by Kyndra Jade
Summary: Valia Mockingjay, an Imperial woman (but a true Nord at heart) and her group is captured by the Empire and sent to their deaths, her friends go missing but Valia's life is spared - by a dragon! Valia's dream is to join the Stormcloaks with the Freedom Trio (her group) in Windhelm, but will she ever find her friends again? Will she be able to save Skyrim? Review if you enjoy! :3
1. The Beginning of the End

**Chapter One: The Beginning of the End.**

I wake from a long state of unconsciousness, to see I'm in a carriage with three strangers. The carriage is being led by an Imperial, which can only mean one thing.. We couldn't escape, there were too many of them to fight them all off. Where are the others? 'Could they be..?' The thought of my friends being killed brings tears to my eyes.. 'No.. Eyrda is strong, he couldn't fall to them..' I reassure myself. Eyrda was always the muscle of our little group, he's the strongest out of the trio and always had our backs. He's an Argonian, so he could easily get away by water. What about Valeka? She had always been the brains of our group, she's great with alchemy and uses magic to defend herself. She was the second strongest of our group, me being the whelp of the trio. 'Surely they survived..' I look around to see that we're almost to our destination.

'This is it. This is how I'm going to die.' I think to myself as we ride helplessly to Helgen, 'we' being a Stormcloak soldier, a thief, Ulfric Stormcloak himself, and I.

Soldier: "Hey, you! You're finally awake. You tried to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush.. Same as us, and that thief over there."

Thief: "Damn you Stormcloaks, Skyrim was fine until you came along.. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and have been halfway to Hammerfell." He grumbled.

Thief: "You there" He directs his gaze towards me.

Thief: "You and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these stormcloaks the Empire wants."

Soldier: "We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief."

Carriage driver: "Shut up back there!" I narrow my eyes to the wagon floor and pray to Talos that my friends are safe.

Thief: "What's wrong with him?" He asks, referring to Ulfric. He has a dirty cloth around his mouth, and is slouched over uncomfortably.

Soldier: "Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!"

Thief: "Ulfric.. The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion.. But if they've captured you, oh Gods, where are they taking us?" He says in a frightened tone.

Soldier: "I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits.." The soldier stares into the distance. I bite back a whimper of fear, as tears stream down my face.

Thief: "No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"

Soldier: "Hey.. What village are you from, horse thief?"

Thief: "Why do you care?"

Soldier: "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home.."

'Home..' I sigh to myself. My friends and I came to Skyrim from Cyrodiil, home of the disgusting Imperials. My father was an Imperial, and my mother a Nord. Eyrda was born in Argonia, also known as Black Marsh. He moved to Cyrodiil to try and make a living, and that's when he met me. We formed the Freedom Trio, and ever since then we've been trying to find ways to escape the Imperials, and restore freedom to Tamriel. One day I overheard some Imperials talking about the 'Stormcloak Legion' and how they rebelled against the Empire, and I knew that's what we were looking for. So we made plans to get over the border into Skyrim, and it was all very thought out and clever, but I guess it just wasn't clever enough because that's how I landed in the position I'm in now.

Thief: "Rorikstead.. I.. I'm from Rorikstead.."

"General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!" A voice said in the distance.

"Good, let's get this over with."

Thief: "Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me!"

Soldier: "Look at him, General Tullius the military governor, and it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this."

Soldier: "This is Helgen, I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with the Juniper Berries mixed in. Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."

"Where are they going?"

"Go inside."

"Why? I want to watch the soldiers"

"Go inside the house!"

The townspeople whisper to each other, but to me it sounds like a bunch of little flies. My head is spinning, I feel dizzy and nauseated as the carriage begins to slow to a hault.

Thief: "Why are we stopping?"

Soldier: "Why do you think? End of the line. Let's go, we shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us."

Thief: "No, wait! We're not rebels!"

Soldier: "Face your death with some courage, thief."

We step out of the carriage and assemble in front of an Imperial Officer and another Imperial with a clipboard in his hand.

Thief: "You've got to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

Imperial Officer: "Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!"

My heartbeat speeds up, and my hands are trembling. I feel hot, it feels like I'm in an oven. Anxiety. I hear the soldier sigh beside me.

Soldier: "Empire loves their death lists."

Imperial: "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm."

Soldier: "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric."

Ulfric walks towards the block and stands with the others.

Imperial: "Ralof of Riverwood."

The stormcloak soldier joins Ulfric.

Imperial: "Lokir of Rorikstead."

Thief: "No, I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!"

The thief begins to sprint away.

Imperial Officer: "HAULT!"

Lokir: "You're not gonna kill me!"

He continues running.

Imperial Officer: "ARCHERS!"

Suddenly the thief falls to the ground, he's been shot by the Imperial archers above in their towers. My heart begins to throb, I try not to let myself cry anymore.

Imperial Officer: "Anyone else feel like running?"

Imperial: "Wait, you there. Step forward. Who are you?"

I step forward.

Me: "My name is Valia Mockingjay of the Freedom Trio." I say bravely.

Imperial: "You picked a bad time to come to Skyrim.. Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list."

Imperial Officer: "Forget the list. She goes to the block."

'What?!' I say to myself. 'They're just going to kill me when I'm not even on the list?!'

Imperial: "By your orders, Captain. I'm sorry.. Follow the Captain, prisoner."

I follow the Captain and stand with the other prisoners. An Imperial walks up to Ulfric and begins speaking to him.

Imperial 1: "Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use the power of his voice to murder his king and usurp his throne."

Ulfric growls at the man through his cloth.

Imperial 1: "You started this war and plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."

Suddenly a large growl roars through the sky. I look up to see nothing there. 'What the hell?'

Imperial 2: "What was that?"

Imperial 1: "It's nothing, carry on."

A woman in monk robes begins to preach and begin the ceremony.

Stormcloak prisoner: "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with! Come on, I haven't got all morning!"

They push him down onto the block.

Stormcloak prisoner: "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials, can you say the same?" The man says, staring the executioner in the eye as he brings a large axe down on his neck, decapitating him. I hear a woman in the crowd shout.

Woman: "Imperial bastards!"

Ralof: "As fearless in death, as he was in life.."

Imperial Officer: "Next, the Imperial in the rags!"

'Me?!' Suddenly the roar in the sky reoccured.

Imperial 2: "There it is again, did you hear that?"

Imperial Officer: "I SAID, NEXT PRISONER."

Imperial (With clipboard): "To the block, prisoner. Nice and easy."

I stumble over to the block and fall to my knees, resting my neck on the cement. Suddenly I see something in the sky, a giant dark sillouette. A..

Imperial 2: "DRAGON!"

The dragon lands on a nearby tower and the sky begins to shift and warp into a dark, swirling abyss. The dragon roars and the executioner is flung through the crowd. My vision is blurred, and I begin to stumble and try to find my footing.

Ralof: "Get up, Valia! We have to get to the keep!"

I stand up and follow Ralof to a nearby tower, where we find Ulfric.

Ralof: "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

Ulfric: "Legends don't burn down villages."

Ulfric: "We need to move, NOW!"

Ralof: "Up through the tower, let's go!"

I run up the tower staircase, with Ralof following behind me. The dragon breaks a hole through the tower wall, killing a Stormcloak soldier in the process, followed by a long stream of dragon fire. I duck, shielding myself from the flames just in time. The stairs ahead of us are now blocked with debris, and the only way out is through the breach in the tower.

Ralof: "Do you see the inn on the other side? Jump down and we'll catch up to you. Go! We'll follow when we can!"

'ARE YOU CRAZY?!' I nodded and held my breath. 'Here goes nothing..' I jump out of the tower and down into the destroyed inn. I hit the floor hard and roll a little ways before opening my eyes. 'I'm alright!' I think to myself happily. I get up and run outside, evading the dragon the best that I can.

Imperial 2: "Hadvar!"

Imperial (with clipboard): "I see, get to safety!" He runs up to me. "Still alive prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way!"

'I hate the Empire, but until I can get to safety I guess I'll have to stick with them for now..' I sigh angrily and follow him. The dragon continues to destroy Helgen as we carry on trying to survive. Suddenly Ralof runs in front of us.

Ralof: "We're escaping, Hadvar! You're not stopping us this time!"

Hadvar: "Fine, I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"

'Yeah, this is why I hate the Empire.'

Ralof: "Come on, into the keep!"

I follow Ralof into Helgen Keep.

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><p><strong>Thus, ends the first chapter of my first Skyrim fanfic! Check out the second chapter which I just recently posted, The Road to Destiny! Please leave a review if you enjoyed reading ^_^<strong>


	2. The Road to Destiny

**Chapter Two: The Road to Destiny**

It's been weeks since we escaped Helgen. Ralof and I sit in front of a fireplace, in his sister Gerdur's house in Riverwood.

Ralof: "I think I've rested enough. How about you?"

Me: "Same. I need to find my friends, I can't do that if I just sit here."

'It's already noon, maybe I can make it to Whiterun Stables in time to catch the carriage and get to Windhelm..' She thought.

Ralof: "Is that why you came to Skyrim? Do you know of their location?"

Me: "We agreed to go to Windhelm and become Stormcloaks, and fight for Skyrim.. But I haven't seen them, I don't know if they got out alive or not.." I swallow a heartbreaking lump in my throat.

Ralof: "Really? I could take you there and refer you myself. Ulfric is always looking for true brothers and sisters to join us in our battle. I could also help you look for your friends. In fact, Windhelm is where I'm heading next."

Me: "Yes. That would be great, thank you." I smiled hopefully.

Ralof nodded and stood from his chair, gathering a few things and preparing for our journey to Windhelm. I gathered a few things as well, food, the gold I've earned from helping Gerdur out around Riverwood, and some spare clothes she had given me. We say goodbye to Gerdur and her husband Hod, as well as their son Frodnar, and set off for Whiterun.  
>It took them around 3 and a half hours to reach Whiterun Stables (they were walking there) and Ralof approached the carriage.<p>

Bjorlam: "Need a ride?" The carriage driver asked.

Ralof: "Yes, please. We'd like a ride to Windhelm." Ralof handed him some gold and he gladly accepted. We both climbed onto the back of the carriage and began our journey to Windhelm. You wouldn't believe how long it took to get there. By the time we reached Windhelm Stables, it was 11:30pm. We then departed the carriage and entered Windhelm.

Ralof: "No point in going to see Ulfric now, it's late. We should see if there are any rooms available in Candlehearth Hall."

I nodded in agreement, and we entered Candlehearth Hall to be greated by a young woman named Elda Early-Dawn.

Elda: "Welcome! What can I do for you?" She smiled.

Me: "Thank you, we'd like two rooms, please." I handed her ten gold pieces, and Ralof did as well.

Elda: "Certainly, I'll show you to your rooms. Right this way." She led us to our rooms, which were right across from each other, and turned to face us. "If there's anything else you need, please don't hesitate to let me know" And with that she left us to ourselves.

Ralof: "We'll head over to the Palace of the Kings mid morning tomorrow. Goodnight, Valia." He said, closing the door. I nodded and closed mine as well. The room was small, and had a shelf, a dresser, a night stand, and a bed that had various animal pelts on it. Laying down on it, I instantly fell asleep after the exhaustion of our travels.

* * *

><p>That night I dreamed of my friends, Eyrda and Valeka. We were fighting with the Stormcloaks, and there was a woman with beautiful orange hair and gleaming bright blue - almost white - eyes fighting alongside us. It was a sunny day, and we were victorious against the Imperials. Suddenly the sky grew dark, and lightning brimmed over the clouds. Black rain began falling from the heavens, crashing down upon us. Eyrda and Valeka became black sillhouettes, and evaporated. "NO!" I screamed, I looked around in confusion, there was nobody there but me and the woman. "Go.. find them.." She said, groaning as she held her stomach. I wondered why she was holding her stomach, I hadn't seen her get hit by anything, she'd been near me the whole time. I tried to help her but she vanished, and I was left alone in the darkness. "It's me!" A voice boomed in the skies. "Wh-what?" I asked the voice, frightened. "You're alright!" My head began to spin. I had no idea what the voice meant, but it sounded oddly familiar. Suddenly I was screaming at the sky. It screamed back at me, "WAKE UP!"<p>

My eyes shot open. I was screaming and kicking in bed, while Ralof loomed over me, shaking me and trying to get me to wake up. 'Oh god I'm an idiot..' My eyes grew wide as I managed to say, "I.. I'm sorry.." I looked around the room, everything was normal.

Ralof: "Nightmares?" He panted, his brows knit together.

Me: "Yeah.. about my friends.. There was a woman with orange curly hair, and she had REALLY blue eyes. I had joined the Stormcloaks and we were fighting off Imperials."

Ralof: "Orange hair.. Wait, you mean Aurora?"

Me: "... Who?"

Ralof: "Aurora. She's the only Stormcloak I know of who has orange curly hair and blue eyes. She's been with us for awhile now, said she was looking for her sister as well, what was her name.. Kira? ..Kendra?"

I furrowed my brows in confusion. 'I don't know of any Kiras or Kendras.' I thought.

Ralof: "Pretty sure her name was Karen."

Me: "..."

Ralof: "...Anyway, are you ready to go?"

Me: "Yeah, of course." I stood up and gathered my things. He nodded and we both left Candlehearth Hall.

On our way to the Palace of the Kings, Ralof noticed I was distracted by something.

Ralof: "What's on your mind?"

Me: "...Oh I just.. I've never seen that woman in my life. Why all of the sudden she's showing up in my dreams is bothering me. Has this ever happened to you?"

Ralof: "I can't say it has."

We climbed up the old stone steps and continued talking on the subject.

Ralof: "Maybe you'd like to meet her? Makes me wonder if she's found her sister yet. I haven't seen her in awhile, actually."

Me: "Maybe.."

Ralof: "That's the spirit." He chuckled.

I smiled and we entered The Palace of the Kings. 

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFF HANGER 8D What will happen next? Will Ulfric deem her a Stormcloak? Will she ever meet Aurora? WILL RALOF EVER REMEMBER HER SISTER'S NAME? Find out in the next chapter of Mockingjay! :DD Coming soon to a near you. wat. ANYWAY please leave a review if you enjoyed reading! I'm always looking forward to them x3 Share it with your nerdy Skyrim fanfic loving friends! Until next time~ :3<strong>


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